The new proposals by the Trump administration could change the face of immigration in the US. In a new strategy, replacing the green card with the Trump Card “Gold Card,” a senior official claims the White House plans to transform work routes visas and even alter permanent residency.
As expressed by Howard Lutnick, a Secretary in the US Department of Commerce, the new strategy will change the way US companies hire foreign employees on H-1B visas. He explained in interviews that the system will prioritize “the best of the best,” selecting immigrants with higher incomes, investments, or specialized skills instead of admitting applicants from the lower income quartile. Former President Donald Trump has positioned this shift as a way to ensure American jobs go first to U.S. workers while still attracting elite talent from abroad.
Changing the rules of the game
The H-1B visa program enables American companies to recruit highly qualified personnel from abroad on a temporary basis. Over the years, many H-1B holders have adjusted their status to acquire a green card and, later, full permanent residency. Lutnick contends the current lottery system is broken. He has referred to it as a “scam” that enriches foreigners while damaging American labor.
Pointing at the number of green card holders vis-a-vis the average worker in the U.S,he asked, “Why are we allowing the lowest earning quartile to migrate permanently and receive green cards?” In Lutnick’s view, the proposed Gold Card would fix this issue by allowing only high earning and high earning potential migrants.
Not everyone agrees, Doug Rand, who served as an official at USCIS during the Biden Admin, stated that the comparison Lutnick makes between the temporary nature of an H-1B visa and the permanent nature of a green card is an unfortunate conflation. The Biden Admin intends to overhaul the H-1B lottery to favor high salary positions, but in Rand’s view, replacing permanent residency with a high value Gold Card will fundamentally change the entire framework of immigration to the U.S.
What the Trump Card actually means
Donald Trump is offering the Gold Card as a new and quicker method for permanent residency. He heavily promoted the program earlier this year explaining that wealthy foreigners could buy into the U.S. immigration system: For an investment of $5 million, applicants could have the right to live and work permanently in the United States, without going through the whole traditional wait for a green card.
Trump calls this a Green card plus. “For $5 million, we’ll give the most successful, job-creating people in the world a pathway to U.S. citizenship. It’s like the green card, but better and more sophisticated,” he said.
Applicants still need to pass background checks, prove job creation, pay US taxes and other benefits. Lutnick claimed demand for the Gold Card has already been strong, with thousands of wealthy foreigners expressing interest.
Big promises… Big questions
The Trump administration suggests the Gold Card could bring substantive profits. Lutnick argues that the program would give $1 trillion to the United States if 250,000 people signed up for it, at a price of 5 million dollars each. This is enough to stimulate the economy, and reduce the national debt as well.
The Secretary of Commerce has publicly supported the plan and even claims to have “sold” some cards on his overseas travels. During public appearances and speaking to the media, his support of the plan has been spending. Critics worry that the plan amounts to an American residency auction which completely ignores the concept of fairness in the immigration system.
The details have not been finalized. But it is clear that the proposed Gold Card would change the American immigration system significantly: the American dream will be even more elusive to the average working-class immigrant, while millionaires could just buy it.